Environmental management: as seen from Env. Psychology The main idea is a description of environmental psychology (EP) and how it is practiced.

EP involves principles of Environmental Management (EM), i.e. The best way to regulate / run / modify / look after a certain environment so that it achieves its maximum benefit. The environment can be both in a rural / urban / green setting (such as a park), or in an organization (a cultural environment, such as a business or for the government).

EPs try to incorporate principles of sustainability into their work so that the work that they do is beneficial not only for the present generation and for the clients, but for future generations too. In order to ensure sustainability and integrity, they have to follow certain rules and standards (both national and international) that are outlined in this essay.

Environmental Management (EM): Definition

EM is the basis of environmental psychology. It is the philosophy around which the work of EP devolves. It is also the work of EP. EM refers to anything done to a certain setting (environment) that leads to changes far beyond its immediate environment. The environment can be both physical (such as a park), or intangible (such as the cultural environment of a business organization). EM can mean no change to environment in which degradation is more likely to occur, or management of improvement / positive changes to environment.

Any changes to environment can arouse a certain mood and can have a certain psychological impact on the person who sees that environment, or lives in that environment. This is where we have environmental psychology.

Example (1): the way a park is landscaped can have a psychological effect on the person walking in a park.

Example (2) changes to the ways of leadership within a business -- this leads to changes in firm's environment.

2. EM is based on sustainability

Managing an environment is done according to certain standards and these are grouped under the description / definition of sustainability.

a. Sustainability means the ability to meet the needs of today's generation without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This work is both intergenerational (between) and introgenratioanl (within)

b. Urban planning (or EM) should have this inter- and into- impact and operation. It should also focus on all aspects of...

Sustainability is often directed through "a revolution from the top" i.e. activism prompting government legislation for guiding of environment
d. There are various criticisms of sustainable development including that focus is on wrong solutions and problems and that there should be need for more training of environmental protection whilst injustices should be reduced instead of focus being on creating change.

3. EM and Psychology

How is EM connected to environmental psychology?

EPs work with the environment. They are, therefore, involved with EM. They intervene in the environment (which is known as "Environmental intervention"). "Environmental intervention" refers to any change in the environment that leads to an alternation in the ecosystem -- or in other words to an impact on the environment / factors involved with environment. This can be a spontaneous or planned intervention (no intervention may also be one).

EM consists of:

a. planning -- objectives to achieve a certain goal

b. training / education / motivation -- for members to achieve sustainability / EM

c. transparency and communication within group towards desired end

d. Applying best and cleanest technology -- to avoid and limit pollution and waste and in depositing waste in ways that would not harm environment.

The process of EM, in order of steps, is the following:

a. Environmental policy

b. Environmental diagnosis

c. Environmental objectives

d. Action plan

e. Controlling and monitoring action plan

f. This results in Environmental audit

EM is implemented within two frameworks:

a. Policies guiding environmental engineering

b. Knowledge of the history of place / environment that psychologist works on.

An environmental psychologist may work within one of 4 capacities:

a. As consultant for NGOs, Green parties and so forth]

b. General environmental consultant advising on possible impacts of planned environmental change and how to do it

c. Working for a business firm and advising them on changes for their business environment. Psychologist too is usually linked with HR department and is concerned…